Chapter 23: Heading to Linchuan

On a late August morning, Jiang Qin packed his bags and arrived at the train station.

The sweltering heat made the station a chaotic swirl of people—shoulder-to-shoulder, so crowded you could lose a shoe just stepping in.

This wasn't exactly unusual, though—it was the start of the school season, after all.

Standing at the entrance gate, Jiang Qin unscrewed his mineral water bottle and took a sip, thinking how lucky it was that Ms. Yuan Youqin and Mr. Jiang Zhenghong hadn't come to see him off. They'd have gotten lost in the crush, and he'd have wasted time tracking down the old couple.

Ten minutes later, the short, chubby Guo Zihang showed up.

He'd applied to Linchuan University of Science and Technology, a decent second-tier school—not too far from Linchuan University, but not exactly close either. The two decided to travel together.

After passing security and ticket checks, they boarded the train and settled into their seats.

It was Guo Zihang's first time traveling far from home—he'd never even been on a train before. The moment he got on, he was buzzing, looking left and right, unable to sit still.

Thankfully, the train started moving soon enough. As the scenery outside shifted, Guo Zihang finally calmed down a bit.

"Jiang Bro, what do you think university life's gonna be like?"

"University students? They've got it pretty good."

"?????"

Jiang Qin peeled off his jacket, stuffed it behind him, and leaned back, gazing out the window.

Jizhou had a solid economy, but the city skimped on infrastructure—every street looked rundown, worse than the counties below it.

As the train pulled out of the station, the view shifted to sprawling rural towns, followed by golden wheat fields and the Ji River winding around the whole city.

Oddly, though, Jiang Qin felt a strange disconnect from the scenery.

Did I not take the train in my last life?

No way—did he walk the whole damn way or something?

Then it hit him. Back then, he'd been glued to his phone, waiting for Chu Siqi's messages, too distracted to notice the view.

Love really was something even dogs wouldn't bother with—you never realize how much beauty you miss for one person.

Jiang Qin lifted his shirt to block the sunlight streaming in, planning to sleep the whole way.

At 11 a.m., the train arrived. A flood of passengers poured off the platform, streaming toward the exit in a noisy swarm.

Jiang Qin and Guo Zihang walked side by side, dragging their suitcases into the arrival hall. From there, they could see the Xinmao Building across the street, its top adorned with a massive sign: Golden Cabinet Business KTV.

"Jiang Bro, where to now?"

Jiang Qin rested his hand on his suitcase handle. "We part ways, head to our schools."

Guo Zihang hesitated before speaking. "How about you come with me to a mixer?"

"A mixer? What's the deal?"

"I joined our school's freshman group chat a few days ago. They're throwing a mixer to meet up early—I signed up, but I'm kinda chickening out."

Jiang Qin's mouth twitched. "All meek in real life, but a keyboard warrior online—that's you to a T."

Guo Zihang coughed to cover his embarrassment. "Anyway, you've got nothing to do—come back me up!"

"Fair point. I'm free anyway. Let's go—but you're paying for the cab."

"Fine, I'll pay!"

So they grabbed a taxi at the station and headed for Linchuan University of Science and Technology.

Guo Zihang was a nervous wreck the whole ride, taking deep breaths, practically clawing holes in his jeans.

Jiang Qin found it hilarious. It's not like you're meeting an online fling and worried you'll scare her off with your looks. It's just a mixer—why so freaked out?

But Guo wasn't like him. The guy was so timid he wouldn't dare complain if someone stepped on his foot. Back in school, he'd rehearse for ages just to talk to the cafeteria lady.

Soon, the taxi pulled up at Linchuan University of Science and Technology. Guo Zihang led Jiang Qin to a milk tea shop across from the campus.

The event was billed as a mixer, but it was really just a small group meetup—four girls, two guys, probably the social butterflies from the chat.

Students in 2008 didn't have much grasp of fashion—nothing like the undergrads a decade later. They kept it simple.

The girls mostly wore pink or yellow T-shirts with busy patterns, little hair clips perched on their heads.

As for the two other guys, honestly, they didn't even look as decent as Guo Zihang.

"I'm Liang Xiao."

"I'm Xu Qingqing."

"…"

"I'm… Guo Zihang."

"Jiang Qin."

After the round of intros, a girl sitting on the outer edge caught Jiang Qin's eye.

She introduced herself as Hong Yan, from Hangzhou, best friends with Xu Qingqing next to her, but didn't mention her department or major.

She was tall and fair-skinned, wearing a gray short-sleeve top and black denim shorts. Maybe thanks to good nutrition, her gray shirt hugged her tightly, accentuating full, graceful curves.

Her looks were leagues above the other three—not even in the same ballpark. She stood out, poised and elegant, beautiful even without makeup.

Jiang Qin knew sizing up girls like this was shallow, but first impressions hit hard. You couldn't help ranking them, especially when the gap was this stark.

Of course, while the guys ogled Hong Yan, the girls zeroed in on Jiang Qin.

"Jiang Qin, what department are you in?"

"I'm… in the Computer Science Department, studying Software Engineering. My buddy too."

Jiang Qin slapped Guo Zihang's back, signaling him to speak. You signed up for this damn mixer—why am I doing all the talking?

The guy finally snapped out of it, stammering, "Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah."

Xu Qingqing's eyes lit up. "I'm in Software Engineering too! Which class are you in?"

"Class 2, I think."

"Class 2 'you think'? Do you have a girlfriend?"

Jiang Qin grabbed Guo Zihang by the neck. "She's asking you, little lady—got a girlfriend?"

Guo Zihang's face turned beet red. "Not… not yet."

"What about you, Jiang Qin?"

"Me? I'm obsessed with studying. Can't go a day without it—feels like ants crawling all over me. So, no dating in college for me."

Xu Qingqing frowned, clearly unimpressed. "Love studying that much and you ended up at Linchuan Tech? Shouldn't you be at Linchuan University?"

Hong Yan nudged her. "Qingqing, don't be snarky. Maybe he just didn't test well."

"It's fine—everyone says that. I'm the type who grinds but doesn't shine."

"See? Told you." Xu Qingqing tilted her head smugly.

Hong Yan frowned slightly. "Still shows he worked hard. At least he won't have regrets."

Jiang Qin was caught off guard by that. A girl who cared about others' feelings? Rare these days.